Growing up my mother would occasionally make a dish my father enjoyed that she called “Depression Dinner”. It was mashed potatoes covered in fried ground beef with beef gravy poured on top of it.
I like mashed potatoes. I like using ground beef in a variety of dishes. And who can say anything bad about gravy? But mix those three together — ugh, no thanks. It was like baby food for adults. There was a reason why my brother and I took to calling it Depressing Dinner growing up.
Yeah, the mistake here is in putting the beef and gravy on top resulting in mush. Putting the potatoes on top and allowing them to crisp would really change the flavor and texture.
Oh certainly changing the presentation, texture, and separation of the ingredients can make a big difference in a dish! I’d say the difference between “depression dinner” and Shepard’s pie is like the difference between cake batter and cake — they’re both made up of the exact same stuff, but one is a gloopy mess you’d probably not want to eat a whole bowl of, and the other is delicious cake you’ll want a second serving of.
I hear ya, altho at the same time your DD as is doesn’t sound that bad to me.
Of course, I’d want to drain the hell out of that ground beef and cook it with some chili mix, too. Without some simple steps like that I could indeed see how it might taste more like oily Gerbers.
To be clear — Mom’s “Depression Dinner” was in fact just greasy fried ground beef poured over mashed potatoes. No spices. I don’t even think she used any salt or pepper. Oily Gerbers would be a perfectly apt description!
Similar to beef mince, onions, gravy and mash for me. My da loves it but I found the combo depressing despite the fact I used to eat mash out of the pot with a spoon. And yes I’m Irish.
Growing up my mother would occasionally make a dish my father enjoyed that she called “Depression Dinner”. It was mashed potatoes covered in fried ground beef with beef gravy poured on top of it.
I like mashed potatoes. I like using ground beef in a variety of dishes. And who can say anything bad about gravy? But mix those three together — ugh, no thanks. It was like baby food for adults. There was a reason why my brother and I took to calling it Depressing Dinner growing up.
Doesn’t sound that far from Shepard’s Pie though, a tasty dish beloved by zillions.
Yeah, the mistake here is in putting the beef and gravy on top resulting in mush. Putting the potatoes on top and allowing them to crisp would really change the flavor and texture.
Oh certainly changing the presentation, texture, and separation of the ingredients can make a big difference in a dish! I’d say the difference between “depression dinner” and Shepard’s pie is like the difference between cake batter and cake — they’re both made up of the exact same stuff, but one is a gloopy mess you’d probably not want to eat a whole bowl of, and the other is delicious cake you’ll want a second serving of.
I hear ya, altho at the same time your DD as is doesn’t sound that bad to me.
Of course, I’d want to drain the hell out of that ground beef and cook it with some chili mix, too. Without some simple steps like that I could indeed see how it might taste more like oily Gerbers.
To be clear — Mom’s “Depression Dinner” was in fact just greasy fried ground beef poured over mashed potatoes. No spices. I don’t even think she used any salt or pepper. Oily Gerbers would be a perfectly apt description!
Similar to beef mince, onions, gravy and mash for me. My da loves it but I found the combo depressing despite the fact I used to eat mash out of the pot with a spoon. And yes I’m Irish.
Potatoes and hamburger gravy, yep that’s a thing
This is what I ate after I could finally graduate from soup after having my wisdom teeth removed
meatloaf, mashed potatoes, and gravy but with fewer steps?